9 Helpful Photography Tips

Embarking on photographic journeys pushes the boundaries of creativity and technical skill, offering unparalleled opportunities to capture the essence of distant lands and cultures. Such expeditions, especially to remote locations like Antarctica and Patagonia, are not just about the photographs taken but about the entire experience that surrounds each shot. This helpful video follows a photographer on such a journey and shares some fantastic tips.

Enhancing Sunset Photos With Lightroom's Auto Settings

Optimizing the initial stages of photo editing can dramatically enhance the final image quality. This helpful video tutorial offers insights into leveraging Lightroom's auto settings to streamline the editing process, particularly useful when dealing with complex lighting situations like sunsets.

Seamless Backdrop Expansion in Photoshop: A Step-by-Step Guide

Expanding the backdrop edges in Photoshop is a common challenge faced by photographers, especially when working with collapsible backdrops that may not fully cover the desired frame. This helpful tutorial addresses this issue, demonstrating a simple yet effective method to seamlessly extend backdrops, which is pivotal for creating professional-looking portraits without physical constraints.

How Many Ways Can You Use a Smartwatch for Photography?

Are you a fan of gadgets? When it comes to photography, there are plenty of fabulous extras that we can use to improve what we do, but how about a smartwatch? I experimented with the Kumi GW5 Pro to see how useful it would be.

Telling Stories With Your Photographs by Embracing Shadows

In the pursuit of technical excellence in photography, one thing that we often bring up at the forefront of the discussion is the amount of dynamic range that a camera has and how having the incredible power of shadow recovery always makes great photographs. But what if the one silent and great storyteller that often goes unnoticed has something to do with the presence of shadow?

Revitalizing Your Photography Through Experimentation and Change

Capturing the essence of urban environments through photography is both an art and a technique that evolves with the photographer's experience and experimentation. This great discussion reflects on the journey and the pivotal changes one photographer is making to invigorate his creative process, highlighting the importance of adaptability and innovation in the craft.

The Squint Method and Beyond: Innovative Techniques for Dynamic Photography

Mastering the subtle art of capturing extraordinary photographs often hinges on recognizing and responding to the unique signals present in our environment. This fantastic tutorial delves into this nuanced aspect of photography, underscoring its pivotal role in elevating a photographer's work from mundane to magnificent.

Creative Lighting on a Budget: How to Do More With Less  

​​​​Harnessing the simplicity of a single light and modifier to achieve multiple photographic looks is a game-changer for photographers. This approach not only maximizes the utility of minimal gear but also pushes creative boundaries, allowing photographers to produce diverse and striking images without a vast array of equipment.

How Do the Top Free Video Editors Stack Up?

The battle in the video editing world has historically been between Apple's Final Cut Pro X and Adobe's Premiere. The two companies have leapfrogged each other for years when it comes to the war for video editors' hearts. But in 2024, there are a lot more wallet-friendly (read: free) options out there, and two of those duking it out right now are CapCut and DaVinci Resolve. But which one is worth giving a shot?

Adobe Unboxed With Julieanne Kost

Whether you've seen her speaking on stages for Adobe, or lining magazine articles such as Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” you surely have come across the legend and creative photographer that is Julieanne Kost.

Strategic Planning for Seasonal Landscape Photography

Exploring new locations for landscape photography, especially in challenging weather conditions, offers a unique opportunity for growth and learning. Venturing into North Wales, this fun adventure provides insights into preparing for the spring season and adapting to the unpredictable elements, highlighting the value of resilience and creativity in outdoor photography.

Demystifying Professional Photography Lighting Equipment

Understanding professional lighting equipment is crucial for photographers aiming to elevate their craft. These tools are indispensable for creating high-quality images with ultimate control, but their complexities and capabilities can often seem daunting to those not familiar with the intricacies of professional photography gear.

Navigating the Shift to Professional Photography

Shifting careers to pursue a passion in photography is a path fraught with challenges and learning curves, as vividly shared by those who've transitioned to professional photography. Their experiences underscore the importance of passion-driven work and the common pitfalls awaiting new entrants into the photography business. This important video essay details seven such pitfalls.

Rediscovering the Joy of Photography With Retro Tech

Embracing the art of photography extends beyond the mere act of capturing images; it's about rekindling a love for the creative process and the joy it brings. If you have lost that initial spark for photography amidst the demands of professional work and the relentless pursuit of social media validation, give this video a watch.

Learning to Embrace Hard Light

Early in my photographic career, I was really into hard light in my photos, but at a point, I started opting for really soft, diffused light, that is until recently. I’ve recently revisited using hard light, and here’s how it has shifted my photography.

Nikon to Acquire RED in Surprise Announcement

In a surprise announcement this morning, Nikon announced that they are set to acquire US cinema camera manufacturer RED. With RED due to become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese camera giant, this will surely make Nikon a force to be reckoned with, not only in the photography world but also in the filmmaking world.

Do You Need a Medium Format Camera?

The shift to medium format photography can mark a significant milestone for a landscape photographer, but it's also very expensive to do so. Do you really need to do so

Should You Start a Photography YouTube Channel?

Becoming a YouTube star is the dream of a lot of photographers, but the reality of it is often far different than the expectations. This fantastic video tells you what to expect.

The Most Fun I’ve Had With A Film Camera in a Long Time

Retro never really goes out of fashion, and this 110 LOMOMATIC camera took me back to the early 1970s when my eldest sister ran around with her 110 camera. I found myself laughing out loud as I shot with careless abandon.

How to Edit Landscape Photos Like a Pro

Professional photo editing does not have to take a lot of time. If you have proper source material, all it takes is a few minutes and the right combination of tools to add that little extra that makes your photos shine.

Enhancing Your Photos: Clarity, Texture, and Dehaze Explained

Mastering Lightroom's sliders is crucial for photographers aiming to elevate their image editing skills to produce the best results, and it starts with understanding the nuanced differences between sliders like Clarity, Texture, and Dehaze. This helpful video tutorial will show you everything you need to know.

A Plea to Document Your life

In the age of selfies and having a camera in your pocket, it seems more and more young people have an endless camera roll of photos that will hardly, if ever, be looked at again. But is there a better way?

A Photographer's Review of the New Fujifilm X100VI

The Fujifilm X100 series has been a cornerstone for photographers who want a compact solution without compromising on image quality. The introduction of its latest model, the X100VI, marks a significant development, incorporating a high-resolution sensor and built-in stabilization, promising enhanced capabilities in a familiar, vintage package.

Which Top-Tier Sony Camera Is Right for You?

Navigating the elite tier of Sony's mirrorless lineup presents a challenging decision: choosing between the Sony a1 and the a9 III, each a masterpiece in its own right. This detailed video review meticulously unpacks the features and functionalities that set these cameras apart, guiding users toward the ideal pick for their arsenal.

Breaking the Low-Pay Cycle: Elevating Your Photography Career

Navigating the competitive field of photography requires more than just skillful handling of a camera; it demands a distinctive style and strategic self-marketing. This insightful video essay identifies common pitfalls that photographers face, shedding light on why some struggle to secure well-paying jobs, emphasizing the importance of specialization and effective branding in establishing a successful career.

We Review the Pergear 260 GB CFExpress Type A Card

In the past few months, I have been converted to a CFExpress Type A user following some great experiences with the Exascend CFExpress cards, and this week I wanted to try out another affordable card from Pergear to see how it compares. Join me in this article as I put this card to the test.

A Review of the Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM Lens

Supertelephoto lenses are some of the most versatile out there, offering lots of reach suitable for a wide variety of applications. Nonetheless, such lenses can often be rather expensive, which is what makes the Canon's RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM a nice option for users who want lots of capabilities at a more reasonable price. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you'll be able to expect from it in practice.

The Truth About Instagram Photographers

There is a pervasive myth within the photography community: the correlation between Instagram followers and financial success. This topic is especially pertinent for emerging photographers who may fall into the trap of equating social media popularity with career achievement, overlooking the multifaceted nature of building a sustainable photography business. This fantastic and important video tackles the topic.

From Crisis to Creativity: Overcoming Obstacles in Wedding Photography

Navigating the complexities of wedding photography, especially when faced with challenging situations, is an essential skill. The ability to adapt to changing conditions and solve problems on the fly can distinguish a successful wedding from a problematic one.

The Difference Between Different Camera Shutters

It used to be so simple. The camera shutter opened and closed again. The time in between was the exposure time. With digital cameras and mirrorless systems, things became a bit more complicated. Let’s have a look at the different types of camera shutters.

Don’t Use This Button in Adobe Lightroom

Photographers are always looking for ways to improve their editing process. Often, a particular piece of advice is given to use a specific option in Lightroom to help nudge your photo in the right direction. This video talks about why you should never use that option.

Lee Miller: From Model to Photographer

Lee Miller, an artist and pioneering photographer, left a mark on the world of photography and the broader art scene. Her creativity and a keen eye for capturing the essence of moments, have solidified her place as a trailblazer in the field.

Hey DJI, Fix These Issues Please

When it comes to cameras released in 2023, most would find it hard to argue that the DJI OSMO Pocket 3 was not only the most anticipated but also delivered on almost all of its hype upon release. However, several fixes need to happen to make this the best camera for video content creators.

Making the Most of Natural Light in Your Portrait Photography

Too often it's easy to overlook the beauty of natural light instead of controlling that most important photography variable. But in the words of YouTuber and photographer Tung Bui, "Natural light portraits shouldn't be a challenge ... they should be enjoyable."

Why Your Shots Just Aren't Good Enough?

When it comes to landscape photography or any genre of photography there seems to be nothing more grinding than someone telling you that they are better than you and when they go on to explain why. However, the nuggets contained here are indeed some of the reasons why some are better than others.

5 Best Plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom

In this video, I share my five favorite plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom. Those are tools I don't want to live without, and the best part is: two of those are totally free.